BSNL telephone lines disrupted for hours

Thousands of BSNL telephone lines under the Anna Road telephone exchange in the business district on Anna Salai were disrupted for hours since Sunday following extensive cable damage as the TNEB engaged in restoring its lines that were ravaged by Metrowater.

BSNL Chennai Telephones sources said about 13 digital loop carrier equipment that support 480 lines each were damaged early on Sunday when earthmovers pressed in by the TNEB caused a trail of havoc on BSNL's underground cable network.

BSNL field staff were instructed to wait till the TNEB personnel completed restoration of power cables and circuits that had been damaged owing to works undertaken by Metrowater. Eventually, telephones lines were restored at around 6 p.m. on Monday.

‘Recurring problem'

BSNL officials said damage to its cables due to works launched by other government departments was a recurring problem across the city. “It is also a hassle to get the lines restored as we have to move through a maze of procedures and permissions,” an official said.

The actual loss extends beyond damage to infrastructure as an extended downtime in getting the lines restored leads to loss of revenue and reputation, the official said.